


Teach Me To Swim

by JotunPrincess



Series: The Drowning Verse [2]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Bad Days, Booker | Sebastien le Livre Whump, Couch Cuddles, Dating, Day At The Beach, Depressed Booker | Sebastien le Livre, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Insecure Booker | Sebastien le Livre, Joe draws the people he loves, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani is an Incurable Romantic, Love Languages, M/M, Morning Cuddles, Multi, Old Married Couple, Sleepy Cuddles, Threesome - M/M/M, Touch-Starved, booker/joe/nicky - Freeform, i was left unsupervised, just cuddles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:14:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29864160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JotunPrincess/pseuds/JotunPrincess
Summary: Once dinner arrived and the trio was about halfway through their meal Joe finally spoke up, “Would you like to go on a date with me?”“What?” The question genuinely confused him.“Me, you, dinner perhaps a walk in the park after,”Or the one where Nicky, Joe, and Booker vacation in Malta to repair their friendship and maybe start something more.Sequel to Drowning On Dry Land.
Relationships: Booker | Sebastien le Livre/Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolo di Genova, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Series: The Drowning Verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2193159
Comments: 13
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

They split off into two groups. The girls went to Southeast Asia to travel around while the boys headed off to Malta as promised but not before making another stop in Marseilles for Booker to collect a few things and make a final stop. 

It’s been a few decades since he could bring himself to do this. He thinks the last time he came through might have been during the Vietnam War. 

“Do you want to be alone?” Nicky asked softly. 

Sebastian needed to let them in. He had to stop hiding, “No,”

Nicky and Joe followed him into the crypt. Looking to his left he could see the question in Joe’s eyes, “Had them moved after the first great war. Marseilles is not the home I once knew. The field of wildflowers we used to have picnic’s in is gone. Whenever my wife was upset with me I would bring flowers from that field. Taught the boys to walk in it. Pretty sure we conceived one of them in it,”

That earned a scoff. “Here they are,” he touched the stone slab, it was newer, carved with their names and dates. Ninon, Laurent, Jacques, and Jean-Pierre. His fingers traced Ninon’s name, he’d always thought he’d been lucky to have her. She’d been his everything, he loved and missed her still. 

/”You’re not met to be alone. Try again after I’m gone, when your heart mends. Know I’ll love you always, and keep a small piece of me in your heart,”/

Pressing his forehead to the cool stone the shaking breaths escaped him. They didn’t shush him, never said he had to stop, instead, he was allowed to cry it out before going quiet. Sebastian wanted a drink, he always wanted a drink after stopping to visit them. Drinking was easy it made him forget how much it hurt. He had a tally somewhere or how many times he drank himself to death. Sebastian wasn’t doing that anymore. He wasn’t going to hide at the bottom of a bottle. Nicky’s hand found his, though because he wasn’t fully sure about it he linked their pinkies together as they walked back to his apartment. They didn’t force him to talk, that was on his own terms. 

They were on the train when Booker finally spoke up again, “She was mad at me you know. Ninon was five years younger than me and I was already starting to get a few odd greys in my hair. Then she saw me and I wasn’t aging and she had more than me. Called me a lucky bastard, still loved me but still made me sleep on the floor that night,”

Joe shared a look with Nicky, it wasn’t often that they could get him to ever speak about his family. Nicky tried to pry for a bit more, “What was she like?”

“Ninon was kind, smart, funny when she wanted to be. All the boys in the village wanted her and she said yes to me all because I remembered her favorite flower. Ninon loved to laugh, played more than a few jokes on each other through the years. Loved dumping snow down the back of my shirt every winter,” Now, even looking at snow made him shiver. Missions were the worst because then he had nightmares, he relieved his first few dozen deaths all over again. 

Joe spoke up, “I wish I had taken the chance to meet her properly,” They only ever saw his family in passing. 

“I still go out, if we’re somewhere when it snows and I can tolerate it just long enough to go out just and it finishes at night. That was always the best snow,”

They were exhausted by the time they reached the house in Malta. The trains and the flight hadn't been the most comfortable but here they were. Booker found the spare bedroom easily. Placing his things down, Sebastian's mind was on autopilot. Checked to make sure he had enough money to head out and get their groceries as he would do on missions.

Joe stopped Sebastian on the way out, “No. This isn’t like with all of us. This is a time to relax, you are still useful if you do that,” he told him. 

“But we still have to eat,”

Nicky chimed in from the kitchen, “I’m ordering takeaway. Tomorrow we’ll go out for breakfast, once that’s done, we’ll go to the market to get something to eat. Gives us a chance to plan a few meals,”

“Could I cook?” he asked. 

They all knew how to cook, well save for Andy unless you gave her a fire pit and some poor forest creature to call dinner. Joe bumped their shoulders together, “I see no reason why not,” If it was something he was willing to do they were willing to extend him that courtesy.

While they waited for the food the three wandered around the house airing it out and getting settled in, making the beds, and getting everything up and running. “I thought you two were coming here after Merrick, you had mentioned it before,” 

Nicky spoke up first, “We were but after the lab Copley wanted us to lay low for a while and with Andy’s injuries we decided to go somewhere to just be for a little while at her location of choice,” He could see the other retreating back into his head again finding one of those dark twisty places he really had no place being. “Stop, what’s done is done, and you are forgiven. We told you that, especially after Joe talked to Copley. I know I said what I did before but this is a new start remember?”

Sebastian nodded. 

Reaching for his hand Nicky touched his fingertips to Booker’s only to see him flinch away. 

“Hey, we meant what we said, this is a fresh start, for all of us,” Nicky took his hand this time giving it a bit of a squeeze. "You can speak up, we won't be upset if you do, or if your mind changes. We realize we're asking a lot after so long but if you're willing to do this so are we," They would not let it happen again. 

“We want you to speak up if you’re uncomfortable if you’re having a bad day tell us. Don’t feel like you have to get up and do just because we are,” They’d had enough of that already. How many bad days did Sebastian force himself through and move for the sake of keeping them to some kind of peace? 

Joe wanted to see this work so they could have their friend back. "Alright."


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning they were up and out the door to head off to the market. It was a good day so Nicky went to any stalls he saw fit with ideas for dishes in mind. Joe and Booker managed to get a bit further ahead of him before Joe popped up with a treat to share. He’d set it up on purpose, with Booker’s hand full with the shopping he was able to feed him the bit of pastry. 

“Those are good,” 

“Want to get some to go home?”

Sebastian nodded, “Yeah,” Lifting his head he looked back to see where Nicky was only for the Genoan to appear next to him instead. 

“I think we got everything we need to get started. If we need more we’ll come back out. Did you find what you needed to cook?”

“I haven’t decided what I wanted to make yet,” He felt Nicky’s hand touch his back and stiffened. 

“That’s alright, this time of year the market is open like this just about every day. Where is Yusef?”

“He went to get something from the bakery stall. There he goes,” They could see their curly-haired companion coming to join them with a box in hand. 

“Now we have food and something for dessert?”

Nicky looked between the two of them. “Anywhere else to stop?”

“I think we have enough to start. Come let's get home so we can have a nice lunch because Booker and I have plans on watching tonight’s game,”

“We do?”

Smiling Joe answered, “We do now.”

It was a decent start at first, but over the course of the first full week, it turned into an awkward dance for the trio. They separated from each other as well giving Booker space to bring him into this without making him feel rushed. They weren’t as touchy and Booker took notice of this. They never had to be on top of each other but there was rarely any space between them. They always touched somewhere. 

Coming out of his room this is where he found them, tucked away on the couch. “Come join us,” Nicky didn’t even look up from his book.

Nothing felt right. They’d gone shopping the other day and returned home, while Joe and Booker watched the game Nicky left the room entirely. Usually, he had no problem when in the same room he would read and simply laugh at their antics. For Joe, unless they were sitting in entirely separate chairs that left room between them they would playfully poke, punch and nudge each other during the game. They shared the couch and not once did Joe turn his jabs or playfulness. All that was natural and normal in how they moved around each other was not awkward in a way he didn’t like. The space between them bothered him. 

“This isn’t right,” He pointed out, causing both to look up.

“What do you mean?”

“Any of it. We used to settle in and move around each other and now it feels like you’re not only avoiding each other but me too. You’ve always touched if you were in close proximity and now you’re sitting on opposite ends like a couple that had fallen out of love.”

Sharing a look with each other in that age-old tradition of having a silent conversation, Joe spoke first, “We didn’t want to make you uncomfortable,”

“Looks like it had the wrong effect,” Said Nicky.

Pushing his hair away from his forehead Sebastian shook his head. “This wasn’t what I meant. I don’t want you to separate for the sake of me. Nicky, you don’t have to leave the room just because we’re watching the game because you think I need time with Joe. Or that you shouldn’t have the little touches you do because I’m around. Joe, I won’t be uncomfortable if you poke and hit me when we’re watching the game, like before.”

Nicky finally asked, “So what is it that you want?” It dawned on the couple then that their conversation that first night addressed his depression but not their brother and friend’s heart.

Now that was a question that threw him off and he wasn’t entirely sure how to voice it. As much as he wanted to simply fall into their relationship, it wasn’t that simple. They have nearly a millennium of learning each other, forming their love language, building to who they were as a couple. Sebastian couldn’t think of them as his wife, they weren’t her and he wasn’t that man anymore. At least not in his mind. 

Love, comfort, wanted. He wanted to feel wanted by them, not just as a lover but as a friend again. 

In soft-spoken french, Booker replied, “I want to feel wanted,”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An important question is asked.

They went back to normal, enough that he could go back to playfully rolling his eyes when Joe started whispering sweet nothings to Nicky in the kitchen in that language only they knew. Sebastian never realized how much he missed it until he couldn’t hear it. Now all that was missing was Andy, though he knew she, Nile and Qynch were off enjoying themselves he hoped. 

Nicky came into his line of sight then. “What?” he heard him. 

Nicky closed the distance between them to squat in front of the taller man, “I said you look far away in thought. Where’s your head?” He asked softly. 

“I’m here. I just, I was thinking about Andy, Nile, and Quynh, wondering how they are.” No doubt they could very much handle themselves but still, he questioned it. His mind always went to how the others were doing without him. 

“They're fine. Nile knows to call us if anything happens. Come on, time for dinner,” Standing, Nicky offered his hand to help him, feeling a small victory that Booker accepted. 

Halfway through their meal, Joe glanced at Nicky before turning to Booker, “Would you like to go on a date with me?”

“What?” Caught entirely off guard just like they thought he would be. 

“Me, you, dinner, perhaps a walk in the park after,” 

“We aren’t going to just walk into this and say we are a couple. If this is going to work properly it’s time we started looking at each other differently. We’ve always been Joe and Nicky to the point we are one name. You have always been Booker and the last year has proven that we need to step back and get to know each other.”

“So, date, want to go?”

Sebastian agreed. Internally he was panicking.

The following morning Sebastian set out on an adventure of his own and took the chance to text Nile for her help. 

Help, help, help. -Crabby

Wht did u do now -Da-Nile

Said yes to a date with Joe. - Crabby

Oh sht he asked u -Da-Nile

Yes. I have nothing to wear for a date. I haven’t been on a date in over 250 years. -Crabby

His phone started to ring with her name flashing across the screen.

“Check you out, getting a date with an older man,” she teased. 

“I’m nine years older than he is.” 

“Physically, maybe but he’s got you by centuries,” Rolling his eyes Booker sat down on a bench. 

“I still need help here. At breakfast, he said dinner is going to be tomorrow night. I don’t have shit to wear for a date, I’m not sure where to even start. Have you seen them when they get dressed for dates?”

“Got that right, I’ve seen your clothes, got dad wear written all over you,”

“You’re killing me here kid,”

“I’m helping you. I am trying to pick out stuff for you right now. These should be easy enough items that you can find no issue and you don’t have to spend a crazy amount of money, make sure you shave a bit and look neat. Make an effort,”

His phone pinged with a photo, white shirt, suspenders, and black slacks. Seemed easy enough, though he was considering changing the color of the shirt. 

“And yes you have to roll your sleeves up to the elbow, it makes that look. Send pictures, gotta go, bye.” Before he could say anything Nile hung up leaving Sebastian to stare at the picture again. He doubled back to the house to get his motorcycle to head back out. When he returned home he slipped right past the two to stash the bag in his room. 

Joining the two for lunch Joe asked home where he got off to and he replied that he’d only gone out for a ride to get some sun and enjoy the nice weather. It felt strange that Joe had asked him out and Nicky had yet to say anything on the matter. Why was Joe asking him out first? Did Nicky still want this?

Nice asked him to help with dinner prep, if there was ever a chance now was it, “Are you really okay with me going out with Joe?”

“I’m the one who suggested it. This was the easiest way I could think of,” They’ve been dancing around each other since they got here and this was the best idea he could think of to help take those steps. “If you’re uncomfortable with it you don’t have to go,”

Shaking his head, Sebastian replied, “No, I’ll go. Are you going to be alright by yourself?”

“I’ll be fine, I want you both to go out and have fun tomorrow night,”

\--

The following day followed as normal until about four when Joe finally disappeared off to the bathroom to start getting ready. Booker remembered what Nile had told him, clean up a bit, thinking about it the blue-eyed man scratched at his beard. Getting up Booker went to start laying everything out to make sure it was wrinkle-free. Instead of a white shirt, he went with a light blue one instead. It still worked. As soon as the bathroom was free to slip right in to get cleaned up, making sure to clean any hair. Looking in the mirror he looked more put together, better than he had a long time. 

Soon enough he was walking into the main room hearing a whistle from Joe, “You clean up nice,” the dark eyes were looking him up and down taking in the sight of him.

Joe was dressed in dark jeans and a button-down shirt of his own. Sebastian felt overdressed and didn’t really have any backup options for clothing. 

“Hey,” Once he had Booker's attention did Joe continue, “Look good in that. It’s just fine for tonight,”

Nicky settled into the armchair by the patio door in hand. “You two have fun, be safe,”

“We will,”

Tugging on Sebastian’s arm he pulled his friend out the door to get them going. After a few minutes in silence, Joe bumped their shoulders together, “You look good. Did you shave too?”

“Yeah,”

“Looks good, you look really good,” Now that Joe was looking for the signs it was easier to notice when Booker’s highs and lows had come and gone over the decades. Joe let them walk to their destination in silence. Taking them to a lounge-like restaurant with drinks, dinner, and dancing. There were all sorts in the establishment, which suited him just fine. Once they were settled at a table with drinks Joe took the chance to prod a bit. 

“What did you get into when we were split up over the years?”

“Little bit of this, little bit of that. For a while, I was going back to a sheep farm in the early 30s. Of course, then there was the war, so you know where we were for that. Like I said the last 30 years I’ve been doing art restoration and book repair. There were also the two years I was a teacher in the 80s, those were fun. But I think the years following the Great War were better, I got to box more.”

“You were so happy the day France was liberated. I remember thinking 'I haven’t seen him smile that hard in a very long time'. Then I got another one the day the camps were freed,”

“You were smiling too if I remember correctly,” 

“We were all glad to see it over or well the start of it being over. But you smile like that so rarely, I like to remember when you do," Joe chuckled. "Those kids swarmed you those days we were there. Never understood it, but you did it,”

Sebastian's smile faded a little, “Being a father was one of the best things I ever did,” 

“One?”

“The other is marrying Ninon,”

“You never really talked about them. How come?”

Taking a sip of his water Booker sat back in his chair, "I think at first I thought maybe if I lock them away in my memories and the journals I wrote I would be safer. That it would hurt less if I didn't have to face it. Then there was you and Nicky, I was envious, more so than I thought I would be. I loved Ninon and our life, so when I couldn’t die I thought it was a curse. I watched her and our boys die, I thought what good was living life if I didn’t have at least her there,”

“She is always here for you. Her and the boys no matter what was said. I think Ninon would approve of you trying again. You deserve to be happy too,”

/”You’re not met to be alone. Try again after I’m gone, after your heart mends. Know I’ll love you always, and keep a small piece of me in your heart,”/

“Yeah,” Wanting a change of subject he looked over the railing for the second level they were on to the dance floor below, turning back to Joe, Sebastian nudged his foot a bit for his attention, “Tell me, what’s your least favorite mode of travel?”

“Easy, boat. I used to love sailing as a child, my favorite was a merchant you know that. I followed in his steps until the war. You couldn’t keep me off the docs. Then there was,”

“The Titanic." he cut him off, "No I can’t blame you there, I don’t think any of us were okay with it for a while. Plane travel is mine, I will never get used to my ears popping,”

“Least favorite place to be,”

“Anywhere cold,”

Rolling his eyes Joe shook his head, “Still can’t believe you bit, Nicky,”

“Damn right I did. Would have gotten you too,” he bared his teeth in a sneer just a bit. 

Smirking Joe leaned in, “Big talk. If you really feel like that you can finish what you started,” he teased.

He could see his ears go a bit red at the comment. Joe changed the subject allowing them to eat dinner in comfortable conversation. Throughout their meal, Yusef could see the blue eyes looking off to the dance floor. 

“Feeling up for it?” Joe asked.

Casting one more look Sebastian chewed the instead of his lip before nodding. “You know what, yeah,” 

Getting up Joe took his hand to lead them onto the dance floor just in time for a new song. It was a bit awkward a first, the pair of them not knowing who should lead. Sebastian let Joe take over since he went dancing far more often. They found a rhythm that worked, moved along to the beat of the song. It was hard to be grumpy when dancing to a song like this. For the time being all his sadness was gone and felt a kind of joy he’d been missing. Even as Ninon drifted into his thoughts, they were happy and he remembered dancing with her in their home or the field nearby. It was nice to still have those memories but he was just as happy to be here making them with Joe.

Returning home with Joe that night he was still riding that cloud of joy as they returned home. As cliche as it was Joe still gave him a kiss goodnight before heading off to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nile out her name into their phones as Da-Nile. Ans she did label Booker as Crabby like Sebastian the crab. 
> 
> The song that Joe and Booker dance to is Almost (sweet music) by Hozier.


	4. Chapter 4

It was raining in the early hours of the morning, the sun hadn’t come up just yet but the pre-dawn glow was starting to bring that grey color to the sky. That’s what woke him, the sound of it on his window, listening for a while Sebastian didn’t have it in him to get up. He should get, Joe and Nicky would be up soon, well Nicky would. With a heavy sigh, he forced his heavy limbs to move. If Booker was on his own again, he’d have stayed in bed and slept, maybe drink whatever bottle was by his bed if there was anything left. Slipping out of bed the man wandered off downstairs to make his way into the kitchen only to stall at the patio door watching the rain come down. 

Nicky found him a bit later stretched out across the floor on his belly, with his head resting on his arms and watching the rain come down. Frowning, Nicky went back to his shared bedroom to rouse his other half to the situation. Heading back into the living room Nicky went over first settling by Sebastian's head to coax it into his lap instead before running his fingers through the shortened locks of hair. 

Joe went back to the room to get a blanket for them, and stopped by the kitchen for some water, and picked up Nicky’s book from the couch before settling on the floor next to Booker once he settled the blanket down and rubbed his back. Nicky sighed softly, he never imagined that this was where Sebastian’s depression led him, and the last few days have been going so well. Joe told him that they had a great date, though Nicky knew better than to assume, the only way they would know was if and when Booker decided to tell them. 

Nicky heard their breathing level out and noticed both were fast asleep. Humming softly he reached out to brush his fingers through Joe’s curls as well. Seeing Sebastian like this Nicky could understand what Joe was seeing before, how he was picking up on the little signs that something wasn’t right. Thinking back Nicky remembered the times Sebastian would come back to them looking a bit thinner. Never as bad as when they had first met him but more like two or more meals were missed. 

Sebastian woke up to Joe’s hand rubbing his back again.

Joe wanted so badly to ask what was wrong. What did he do wrong, instead he asked, “Want some water?”

Booker nodded, and Joe moved to sit up and reached the glass Nicky brought over earlier. Right now he was in the kitchen fixing up something for them to eat. Sitting up Sebastian took the offered glass from Joe. Just then Nicky walked into the room with two plates offering Joe a sandwich and Sebastian some toast. 

“I wasn’t sure if you would feel up to eating but I thought it would be best if you tried something,”

“Merci,” he replied, taking the toast to more or less nibble at it. This wasn’t what he wanted. Wasn’t what he was used to, but the strongest thing they had in the house was wine. 

“I called Copley and the girls, he’s going to find us a therapist." The look on his face must have said it all because Nicky followed up with, "Not just for you, but for all of us. It would benefit us all around if we could have the chance to talk to someone to help us. After you left in Greece Nile told us about your depression, never realized just how bad it was until today."

Joe shook his head, “Andy is going to kill you,” 

“I know, but it’ll be worth it,”

\--

Joe was right of course, Andy did try to kill him. By the time Copley found them, someone, to talk to they were all packed up and ready to move to the nearest safe house. It was an all-day affair with the six of them going. Chances to talk separately and then together couple-wise though it did not include Booker. He wasn’t part of their couple, he was still on the outside there were still things to work on if they were going to get that far. 

“Sebastian,” The doctor stood in the doorway calling him into the office so he could have a seat. 

“Let’s start with your family,”

“Which one?”

There were good days, bad days, and all-out shitty days where they would leave the office not speaking for the rest of the day. Where Quynh refused to be alone in a room or wouldn't go near water. Days where Andy felt like doing nothing more than putting a bullet in something. Nile would lock herself away in her room to avoid the urge to call home. Sebastian would take comfort in the bottle again. Joe and Nicky found it hard to be in the same room as the other.

The relationship between Joe, Nicky, and Booker was put on hold while Sebastian took the chance to focus on dealing with his grief and past issues. Dealing with the loss of his family hurt the most as he found himself crying more now than when they had passed. He shared how on certain dates it was the worst for him because they were the ones he couldn't forget. Through it Quynh and Booker strengthened their friendship through their trauma spending many restless nights together either wandering the area or watching tv quietly. Quynh enjoyed the actually lessons about the years she missed instead only only seeing it in snippets from their shared dreams.

200 years of nightmares had left their mark on him, Sebastian still dreamed about her drowning some nights. He had come clean about it to the other a month after they started seeing the therapist, old habits die hard. As the dreas became less frequent and he found himself accepting both the passing of his family and the death of his mortal life his urge to drink began to subside. Sebastian smiled a bit more, laughed more readily, and stood up a little taller. 

The more surprising point was that Copley even joined therapy through video sessions sometimes while Booker was there to go over their failed partnership.

\--

Life didn’t stop, of course, a mission they couldn’t avoid fell into their laps. By this point, they’d been going to the therapist for about five months. Quynh stayed behind, she wasn’t quite ready to take on the world like they were used to. So this is how Sebastian found himself crammed into the back of the hatchback, keeping his head low as they drove so he didn’t attract attention. They really should have stuck Nile back here, she was short and the space was not made for anyone over 5’8”, but this was being nice as the older brother. Once they arrived at the house he smiled as Joe let him out, offering a hand which he gladly took.

Andy sent Nile to shower first since she’d died during the mission. Finding a change of clothes Booker started to change in the living room, “I’m going to get something for us to eat tonight,” They were only staying for one night so take out would suffice. 

“No you don’t, not yet. Come sit and wait your turn,” Nicky ordered. 

Nicky had Joe before him sitting on some crate while he took a comb through his voluminous curls. There was a towel around his brown shoulders to collect bits of glass and rubble that had collected in his hair during their escape. Doing as he was told the Frenchman sat to wait his turn. Booker watched as Joe received a kiss to the back of his head before tipping his head back to receive one more before getting up. Sebastian still yearned to be on the receiving end of those kisses. Joe shook the towel out outside before giving it to Booker to protect himself. 

Once settled Nicky started combing through his hair. 

“Your hair is getting long again, would you like me to cut it once we get home?” he inquired softly in French.

“Yes,” he agreed. A haircut was much needed, and before he knew it Nicky was kissing the back of his head as well. Nicky’s way of telling him he was done and cared for.

It was over too soon for his liking. He wanted to stay and lean into the warmth Nicky’s body offered. The Genoan must have read his mind because he hugged him from behind, “Sleep with us tonight, just to have you close?”

He nodded, “Okay,”

By the time they finally settled down for the night the three were tucked close to each other on the floor with little space between any of them.

\--

“You asked him to sleep with you?”

“Platonically, we just wanted to have Sebastian close for once. After missions, there was also a bit of separation. Nicky and myself to our corner, Andy to her own and Booker to his own,”

“You know when you talk about him before you refer to him as Booker, right?”

“That’s what we called him for so long. What he let us call him like he was trying to keep up a wall for some of it. We know that now, we still call him Booker but we say his name too. Though saying his name is more so for him, there are other things I want to call him,” Joe admitted. 

Nicky smiled, there were other things they wanted to call him but that wasn’t in their cards just yet. 

"Other things like what?"

"Pet names,"

“You still want to take the next steps to see if Sebastian is still as romantically inclined as he was before?”

“Well, we said even if nothing came from it then at least we tried and gave it a shot. When the decision to come to you was made Joe and Booker had gone on a date the night before. The next day was the first time we had really seen one of his bad days at work. Never realized how much he was holding back before then. So we put everything on hold. It didn't seem fair to try and ask that much of him when he was still dealing with unaddressed turmoil." Nicky explained.

Nodding the doctor looked to their notes. “Perhaps try another date, start over, but this time Nicky you go out with him first,” The doctor suggested.

\--

“So where are you with the exploration of your relationship with Nicky and Joe?”

“I still want to give it a try. Aside from sleeping with them platonically after the most recent mission, we’ve kept things at a friendly level. More so just falling into place like before but with more communication. No more assuming, now they invite me out and I have the option of saying yes or no instead of it being made for me,”

“Do you enjoy going out?”

“I do. Not just with them but Andy, Quynh and Nile as well.” With Nile and Quynh part of their lives, things were changing and Nile was making sure of that. There was no reason they could not enjoy life. Andy had a reason to live again, Quynh had five hundred years to make up for and Nile was only just beginning to learn what being an immortal meant. 

“You mentioned before that sometimes after a mission or job would split up, would you ever go with them?”

“Rarely and usually only to a certain point before going my own way. They were always Joe&Nicky to me. I met them as such and knew them as a couple. Where one is the other is usually never far. I didn’t want to intrude on what they had, at times looking at them only made me miss Ninon. I couldn’t be responsible if I ruined them because of my feelings,”

“What makes you think you would ruin them?”

“I wasn’t in the best headspace, kind of thought anything else I touched I would ruin,”

Thinking of the best way to pick up the conversation the doctor followed up with, “Was your attraction to them ever an issue?”

His brows knit together in question, “You mean was I bothered by being attracted to men, no. I was depressed, not dead. France stopped capital punishment for it in the 1790s I think. So I was no stranger to hearing about it. After my wife died I kind of just signed off for a while. I finally asked Andy when I saw her coming back one night, she told me that our lives are too long to listen to someone else's opinion on pleasure and to try it myself if I wanted answers. So every so often if I was so inclined I went to bed with someone.”

What he didn’t reveal was that as far as male partners went it never went much further than the odd blow job, maybe a bit of fingering if they made it that far. 

“You’ve waited a long time to open your heart again. You’ve already said that your wife would tell you to try again. So the question is if they asked again, would you say yes?”

“Yes,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (foot note) There MIGHT be a part three where I touch back to focus on Quynh, andy and Nile.)


End file.
